Butternut Squash & Leftover Thanksgiving Soup

Looking for something to do with all your leftover Thanksgiving food? If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that sometimes the best answer is throwing everything in a blender and making soup out of it! I know, it sounds weird… But after almost two months of a liquid diet in 2019, I’ve learned that almost ANYTHING is good in soup form (even grilled cheese, tomato soup and bacon.. two months of a soft/liquid diet means desperate times people).

So, here it is – Butternut Squash and Leftover Thanksgiving Soup.

This is best in an Instant Pot if you have one. If you don’t, trust me on this – BUY ONE! They have some great sales right now on Amazon. You can cook frozen chicken in 12 MINUTES. Yep, you read that right.

*When you buy something using retail links in my posts, I may earn a small commission. I will never recommend anything I don’t own and love.

If you don’t have one – I have included stove top directions as well.

Start out with all of your leftover Thanksgiving goodies.

Roasted vegetables, poultry herbs, an apple (though I think I would prefer the soup without this), butternut squash, leftover turkey stock, and turkey. I threw some fresh peppers in there because I needed to use them up. Really, any type of veggie will be good with this, so just use what you have on hand! I would have liked to add more carrots if I had them. Also, I like a little spice with everything, so I tossed half of a jalapeño in there.

Instant Pot Instructions:

Cut and deseed your butternut squash. It doesn’t matter how you cut it, as long as it fits in your Instant Pot. No need to take the skin off, we’ll do that in the next step.

Add in about a cup of the turkey stock. If yours has solidified as mine did, add 2/3 – 1 cup of water with it. If you want more flavor, dice and add in your remaining herbs.

Lock and seal the instant pot and set it on pressure cook, high for 7 minutes.

Oven Directions:

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can roast the entire butternut squash in the oven! You’ll want to roast it at 425°F – 450°F for 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of your squash and your oven. You’ll know it’s done when you can easily stick a knife through it.

Once roasted, let the squash cool enough so you can peel the skin off and take the seeds out and chop into 4 or 5 pieces (depending on the size of your blender).

Additionally, you’ll want to heat up your stock and water on the stovetop on medium heat for about 5 minutes to warm it up before moving on to the next step.

Blend it up:

Once your butternut squash is roasted in the oven or depressurized in the Instant Pot, you’ll want to remove all the flesh (and seeds if you roasted it whole).

Toss the squash, turkey stock, and all the veggies in the blender and puree until smooth.

If you’re in the market for a new blender, we love this Ninja Blender. We picked it up right before my double jaw surgery about two years ago and it has worked wonders.

*When you buy something using retail links in my posts, I may earn a small commission. I will never recommend anything I don’t own and love.

Add in the turkey:

Once the soup is pureed to your desired consistency, move it to a serving bowl. Dice up your turkey and add it to the soup. I also added some celery for crunch and topped it with sour cream to even out the spice of the jalapeño.

And, enjoy!

Drop a comment and let me know what you think!